Freiburg students demand equality: priests as a sign of hope!
Freiburg students demand equality: priests as a sign of hope!
In a courageous step, nine theology students of the University of Freiburg applied as priests to set a sign against the discrimination against women in the Catholic Church. After the Catholic teaching, the priesthood for women is not intended, but the students want to actively advocate equality. In a conversation with Auxiliary Bishop Christian Würtz, which lasted about two hours, they were able to raise their concerns, which was rated as constructive from both sides. Würtz praised the Initiative and was open to the topics that the students addressed.Vera Fath, one of the applicants, emphasized the need for long -term changes in the structures of the Church during the conversation. It is part of the initiative "My God does not discriminate against - my church", which is active on Instagram and documents the application letters of the students. Another student, Lisa Baumeister, expressed that they are aware that an immediate shot at the seminar is unrealistic. You and her fellow students plan to continue to encourage other students to apply.
a sign against inequality
The students want to get out of a position of fainting and become active. Felicitas Höing, also in the sixth semester, sees itself as an enrichment for the archdiocese and expresses frustration about the continuing refusal of the women's consecration in the Catholic Church. Auxiliary Bishop Würtz acknowledges that there have already been changes in the church, such as the increasing number of women in management positions.
The initiatives of the students also find support outside the university. Gabi Schmidhuber from the women's reform movement Maria 2.0 calls for the appeal of women. Dean Karlheinz Ruhstorfer is impressed by the commitment of the students and criticizes the arguments against the consecration of women as inadequate. The discussion about gender justice in the Catholic Church is considered extremely pressing and receives new swing through the initiative of the students.
context and support
Developments in Freiburg are in line with a wider trend within the Catholic Church in Germany. At the general assembly of the synodal path, 92% of the delegates and 82% of the bishops voted for the approval of women to become consecutive offices. This shows that there is a growing awareness of the role of women in the church. A basic text that asks Pope Francis to examine reform ideas for the consecration of women at the world level was welcomed by many.
There are also demands for more gender equality as well as a critical examination of everyday sexism and the marginalization of women within the church structures. Bishop Franz-Josef Bode sees the acceptance of the basic text as a "historical step" and emphasizes the moral liability that the Pope deals with this topic.
The Freiburg students are not alone. Your application for the priesthood not only represents an individual challenge, but is also part of a broader movement within the church, which indicates equality and recognition of the female role.
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| Ort | Freiburg, Deutschland |
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